Christianity
Christianity is a human religion founded upon the teachings of Jesus Christ, whom the Bible records as being the only begotten Son of God and the Savior of all mankind, who has died on the cross for the sins of the world and has risen from the dead the third day to offer eternal life for those who believe in Him. It is a religion that emphasizes the virtues of righteousness through the obedience of God's commandments, including those of showing mercy and charity, and commonly depicts an eternal reward of heaven for the faithful and righteous and of hell for the unbelieving and wicked. Rituals The most common form of ritual in Christianity is the attendance of a worship service on a weekly basis, which in Catholicism is called a Mass. The priest or pastor of a church leads the congregation in worship, to pray for blessings and forgiveness of sins upon himself and the congregation, and to engage its members in the practice of holy communion. Private prayer times are often encouraged with no specific set time of the day for them, as well as study of the Bible for guidance and comfort. In Catholicism, those who are called to seek service unto God as priests, monks, or nuns are required to take vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience unto themselves and are secluded within monasteries or convents for their training. One of the most common prayers in Christianity is referred to as The Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13), which is as follows: Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your Kingdom come, Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our debts As we forgive our debtors, And lead us not into temptation But deliver us from the evil one, For Yours is the Kingdom and the power And the glory forever. Amen In the comic books and cartoon show Though Christianity is rarely if ever depicted in any of the Smurfs stories, with most of its emphasis being on nature worship and magic, its concept of heaven and hell were used in the cartoon episode "Heavenly Smurfs" when the Smurfs fool Gargamel into thinking he has been sent to his final judgment and must now make amends for all the evil he has done. In the comic book story "The Egg And The Smurfs", one Smurf was sent to hell by another Smurf who wished for that Smurf to go to hell, only to later be removed from hell when Papa Smurf had undone all the wishes his little Smurfs had wished for. Papa Smurf's behavior towards Gargamel in regards to saving him in times of peril reflects the Christian attitude of showing mercy even unto the most undeserving recipients. Some Smurf stories have thematic elements that parallel those of Christian Bible stories, particularly the cartoon show episodes. In "Bigmouth's Friend", Clockwork Smurf bravely sacrifices himself while dealing with a giant machine created by Gargamel and Lord Balthazar in a manner similar to King David's confrontation with Goliath the Gittite. In "Blue Eyes Returns", the Smurfs deal with a flood created by Gargamel's magic beans similar to the one created by God to destroy His unfaithful creation in the time of Noah, whose family was the only one to escape the flood by building an ark. The human customs of Christmas and Valentine's Day are usually considered Christian holidays, while heterosexual marriage is considered a Christian virtue in that it was intended for humans to create families through which the virtues of godliness can be instilled upon future generations. Empath: The Luckiest Smurf stories Tapper Smurf is the only Smurf character depicted in the series as being a Christian, though the extent of his beliefs is uncertain as he also adheres to particular elements of the Smurfs' own belief system. As a whole, it appears mostly with a few characters that the Smurfs meet, such as Sister Leiliana and Meredith, the latter of whom misuses her religion as a personal crusade to hunt down mages. Benedictus was a traveling missionary who was mistaken for being a Christian, but was actually a Viperion whose "god" was Lucifer. One of the elements emphasized in the EMPATH story series concerning Christianity is that of sexual morality, where the Smurf characters deal with temptation of intimacy with either sex, including its main character Empath. Tapper believes that all creatures, including Smurfs, should remain virgins until marriage, and, as with the Bible's teachings, that any form of sexual orientation outside of the norm that God has established is considered sinful, though it does teach that are some people are "made eunuchs" (with no desire for physical intimacy) at birth. Glovey Story The character Aksel Smurf in the Glovey Smurf story series has been raised as a Christian by monks who have found him as a baby Smurf. During his stay with his fellow Smurfs, he finds himself at odds with Aasif Smurf and his wife Aneeqa, who are followers of Islam. Hero: The Guardian Smurf stories The character Abloec Smurf in the HERO: The Guardian Smurf story series is identified as being a Christian. Category:Religions